


Everything I Need

by FandomGuardian12



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Brainy has trouble with his feelings, F/M, Falling In Love, He's a soft boy, Kelex is a bitch lol, Kissing, Light Angst, Nia is a strong independent woman, Set right after 4x15, Song reference (kinda), Sparring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-12-25 07:06:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18256256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomGuardian12/pseuds/FandomGuardian12
Summary: Takes place after 4x15. Brainy is having a hard time focusing on his work ever since the kiss with Nia, and he wonders if there isn't something that can be done about it. Kara calls him for sparring practice in the Fortress, and when faced with Nia herself, he finds himself hopelessly distracted. Brainy has to figure out what his needs. Or who.





	Everything I Need

     Brainiac 5 could not focus. 

     It was becoming increasingly irritating. Usually, Brainy was of course very good at concentrating on his work, but the events of the previous day could not be shaken from his mind despite all best efforts. He had considered wiping the incident from his memory altogether, but never got around to actually doing it.

     All at once, the images flashed before his eyes again. Soft touches and one swift movement, the sensation of Nia's lips on his as tangible as the moment it had first happened. His rambling words and heartache had strangely faded from relevance in Brainy's mind, and the way Nia had grabbed at him was the only thing that seemed to matter. Her kiss had been warm, comforting and needy at the same time, as though she had felt his pain and matched it with her own. His eyes had slid closed and his brows knit together as he felt the emotion moving between them both, something he was not used to picking up on. And he had kissed her back; had he really kissed her back?

      _No,_ he scolded himself and, shaking his head, trying to focus back on the computer monitor in front of him.  _"Relationships based on intense experiences never work." I cannot go back on my word._ Letting out a dark, rough growl from his throat, Brainy rubbed harshly at his eyes.  _A distraction. That is all this is. An unnecessary distraction that is better off left in the past._

     Frustrated with himself, Brainy reached absently to fidget with his Legion ring before remembering that it was no longer there. This only grated on him more, and he turned his chair away from the computers to glare up at the ceiling. It was suddenly obvious to the Coluan that he would not soon be able to rid himself of the memories of Nia.  _Perhaps,_ he mused _,_ _it would be more advantageous for me to seek the advice of a more experienced party..._

But Alex did not recently seem to favor speaking about romantic affairs, even if it included ending them, and Kara was caught up in the stresses of the incident with James and the oncoming threat of Lex Luthor. After several more long moments of consideration, Brainy resolved to simply persist in his attempts to push aside his feelings about the situation with Nia.  _Little boxes,_ he hummed to himself with a dry smirk. 

     Suddenly, his phone buzzed on the desk. Spinning back to the monitor, he quickly picked up the phone and looked at it. A text from Kara lit up the screen:  **Meet me at the Fortress. We need to train.**

     Brainy smiled in spite of himself; perhaps a round of sparring with Supergirl would help him to clear his mind. 

~~~~~~~~~~

     If one thing was for certain, it was that forgetting Nia's kiss would prove to be more difficult than predicted, especially considering the fact that Nia herself was standing in the Fortress when Brainy arrived. Brainy scolded himself for failing to anticipate this occurrence.  _Of course Supergirl's use of "we" would include Dreamer._ Swallowing, he lifted his chin and straightened up, determined to appear unfazed. 

     Nia, however, smiled cordially at him, peaceful and composed as though completely unaware of the tumult presently occurring within his mind. She turned her gaze away from him to focus on Supergirl, who was pacing across the shimmering floor. "What is it, Kara?" the young woman asked gently. 

     "We need to spar," the Kryptonian said in a clipped tone. "If Lex Luthor is on the rise, then we must summon all the strength necessary to put him away again. Who knows what Lena's serum might have done to him..." 

     Brainy made a soft noise of agreement. "Very well. Where shall we begin?" He stepped slowly over to Kara, assuming she would start by practicing a new attack with him. 

     The woman shifted away from him, her phone in her hand alongside a small bluetooth speaker. "Lex is a master of deception and diversion," she murmured. "You must practice hand-to-hand combat with heavy distractions." She was speaking mostly to Nia, but Brainy felt his stomach sink. 

      _As if I was not distracted enough already..._ He stole a sideways glance at Nia, who still looked very serene. 

     Holding up her phone, Kara finally smiled. "So... how about some Def Leppard?" 

     A rock song that Brainy did not know began to blare loudly, and Nia at last looked stunned. "Wait, since when do you like"

     "Nia, you're on the defense," Supergirl interrupted her, moving to the side. "Brainy, play offense."

     The Coluan jumped, startled. "But I thought"

  "Go!" 

Nia was already in position, squaring her shoulders in preparation for Brainy's attack. 

     Brainy himself shook his head sharply, trying to clear his mind and pretend he hadn't been thinking about Nia again. He took a deep breath, eyes closed, and flexed his hands.

     Then, quick as a serpent, he bolted forward, focusing a blow to her midsection. He was almost upon her when he was suddenly shoved roughly back. The wind was knocked out of his chest where Nia had pushed him, but he was more startled than anything. 

      _Pay attention,_ he told himself fiercely, only briefly wondering how he had missed her movement. He lunged again. 

     This time, Nia was smoother. She raised a steady defense and countered his blows with relative ease. Twisting away from him, she aimed a few light swings of her own at his ribs. 

     Brainy would have been impressed by her obvious improvement if not presently so confused by his lack of anticipation. The music created a mild excess of stimuli, but even more distracting was the way Nia's eyes flashed with joy as she pounced on him. Almost clumsily, he wrenched away from her and retreated a few steps. 

      _What is wrong with me? I'm fighting like a young child!_ Growling a little in frustration, he turned back to try again. 

     As he did, Nia suddenly appeared right in front of him, aiming a flurry of punches at his head. Brainy managed to block her attacks there, but she stole the opportunity of his open form to throw him against the nearest wall. 

     Brainy yelped as his back slammed into the rock; Nia planted her forearm firmly across his chest, pinning him there. He tried to wriggle away, but she held him fast. 

     Nia's face was very close to his, and Brainy's gaze flickered unintentionally to her lips. She smiled wide in victory, and he swallowed hard. After a beat, she released him and he stepped hastily to the side. There was a strange heat in his cheeks and his heart was beating for quickly than usual. 

      _When was the last time my heart rate was so elevated during training? When was the last time I was winded?_

"Good job, Nia," Kara said, frowning thoughtfully. "Go again."

     The two returned to their opposite sides of the space, flexing joints carefully. Brainy realized that his whole body felt warm and sighed to himself. 

     At Kara's cue, he ran forward again. When Nia simply sidestepped him, he stopped on a dime and threw his elbow back to push her forward. She barely budged, then swiftly turned completely around him. Brainy was left to spin a little and stumble rather unsteadily, and Nia faced him down again. 

     She jerked briefly to her left, then right, teasing him with juvenile misdirection. 

     Brainy rolled his eyes at her. "Any time!" he called out sharply. 

     Nia smirked at him, but when she attacked again, he caught her fists in his hands. There was a brief, sightly ungraceful struggle before Brainy managed to topple his opponent. 

     As she fell, Nia stuck out her leg and swept the Coluan right off his feet. Brainy landed with a loud thud, startled into stunned silence as he lay on the floor. 

     Nia, laughing nervously, sat up and peered at him. "Are you okay?" she squeaked.

     Brainy could only stare, mouth hanging open uselessly. 

     Kara strode up, arms crossed over her chest. The music had cut out a beat earlier, and the Kryptonian looked very confused. "What is up with you today?" she asked Brainy bluntly. 

     The other hastily climbed to his feet, brushing himself off with a sheepish expression. "My apologies," he expressed genuinely. "I'm afraid I am a little... distracted today." It was all he could to to suppress a grimace, and to avoid a glance at Nia. 

     Kara's phone rang then and after a glance at it, she sighed. "That's J'onn. He must have a lead on Lex. Alright, y'know what Brainy, it's okay. Just... keep practicing. I have to go." Giving them both a slightly strained smile, she turned and walked away. 

     As Supergirl flew out of the Fortress, Brainy sighed heavily. Dragging a hand over his face, he walked over to one of the benches by the control panel and sat down. 

     Nia watched his cautiously, moving over to stand a few feet away. "Are you... Brainy, are you alright?" she asked quietly after a moment. 

     He would not look at her, but shook his head. "I have recently become... rather preoccupied with a very confusing... problem," he explained hesitantly. "And my distracted state has obviously proven very stressful on Supergirl, adding to her already very strenuous situation with Lex Luthor." He stared down at his hands, ashamed. "And I never intended to make things more difficult for her." 

     Nia wore a sympathetic expression, walking over to sit beside him on the bench. "Maybe if you resolve the problem that is distracting you, you'll be able to focus on helping Supergirl again." She tilted her head sweetly. "What is it that's bothering you so much anyway?"

     Brainy felt his heart falter in he chest and glanced at her sideways. She was very close, and he could feel the heat radiating from her. A long beat, and he let out a heavy exhale. "That would be... the event that transpired between you and I only mere days ago, Nia Nal."

     "Oh." Nia's voice was very small, and then she fell silent. 

     "I must admit, I am not used to failing to put aside any and all distractions," he told her, frowning. "Even the technique of little boxes that Lena taught me has not helped. "It is... very troubling." 

     "I'm sorry," Nia said, sounding hurt although she was obviously trying to sound genuine. 

     Brainy shook his head at her sagely. "No need. I have learned that one cannot always change the way they feel about something. Or... someone." His stomach fluttered a little at that thought. 

     "And how do _you_ feel?" Nia asked slowly. 

     He stared at her carefully, as though trying to decipher her meaning. "The events of that day were very... stressful," he responded. "As I articulated to you, even if in odd terms."

     Frustration flickered briefly in Nia's soft brown eyes. "Yes. But did you..." She bit her lip in thoughtful pause. "What happened between us... Did you want it?"

     Brainy's jaw tightened. "I was vulnerable in that moment," he told her a little evasively. "I am not accustomed to being so vulnerable; my ancestors would not have allowed it. And I therefore have become... well, not the kind of person who very many would want to be with, romantically speaking. I do not believe that i could uphold such a relationship even if I very much wanted to." He glanced up at her for half a beat. "I do not have the capacity to do so."

     Nia sighed. "Sounds like that 'little boxes' theory doesn't work much at all."

     Brainy opened his mouth as if to argue, but then closed it again, looking uncomfortable.

     The woman shook her head. After an uncomfortable silence, she spoke up decisively. "Brainy, when you told me that a relationship would never work, you said it had to be said even if it hurt. Which one of us was going to be hurt?" 

     He looked up at her suddenly, stricken. He swallowed hard, as though holding something back, but stayed completely silent with conflict glowing in his dark eyes.

     Nia clasped her hands and let out a breath. "Brainy, I know you've been struggling lately, and as your friend I will gladly try to help you through it. But... I kissed you for a reason. Because I _really_ like you. But I am not going to play games, not with you. I know myself, what I want and what I need. When you figure out what you  ~~~~want, come and talk to me."

     She stood up and began to walk away. As he watched her go, Brainy's mind raced and his heart began to pound.  _What do I want? What do I need?_ Before he was completely aware of it, he was standing too. 

     "Nia." 

     She paused and turned around to face him again, looked confused. "Yeah?"

     With a determined expression, Brainy quickly crossed the room to Nia. With barely a second's hesitation, he took her face in his hands and kissed her. 

     Nia let out a tiny gasp of surprise, but did not move away. She leaned into him almost shyly, her hands fluttering nervously against his chest. 

     Their lips moved slowly and smoothly against each other, and Brainy gave an involuntary shiver at the soft feeling of her mouth. Nia made a soft sigh of pleasure, her fingers reaching up to tug gently at the roots of his shaggy black hair. 

     Brainy was still slight unsure of himself, and slowly moved his own hands to rest on her hips. She pressed closer into him, smiling against his lips to show that she approved. Encouraged, Brainy held her tight and kissed her fervently. 

     At last they pulled apart, faces flushed and chests heaving. Nia had never seen Brainy look so blissfully dazed, and it made her heart melt. 

     "You," Brainy said softly, gazing at her as his fingers tangled loosely with hers. "It is you. I will not deny that being stuck outside of my own time has presented obstacles, and that I have had a difficult time figuring out who I am and who I want to be. But it has all been made easier by your presence." His voice was trembling, but was as reverent as a prayer. "You, Nia Nal, are everything I need." 

     Nia could only smile, startled by the poetry in his words. "How many romantic movies did you watch in your attempt to understand pop culture?" she asked teasingly, arms wrapping around his neck. 

     Brainy tilted his head, adorably perplexed. "None," he answered. "Why do you ask?" 

     She laughed lightly and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "Because you've got them all beat."

     Brainy still looked as though he did not understand, but when she kissed his lips the confusion dissolved at once. He gave himself over happily to the kiss, contentment swelling up warmly within him. 

     The two were so distracted by each other that they barely noticed the entrance of Kelex until the robot crowed loudly, "Good Rao, I never thought this day would come!  _Quirrel_ has a girlfriend!" 

     Nia let out a musical laugh that rang through the Fortress, and Brainy could not fight the joyful grin that spread across his face even as he howled, " Beat it,  _Kleenex!!"_

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, y'all! Look at me posting fics more often. Anyway, I wrote this because I ship Brainy and Nia really hard and there aren't enough fics about them; plus I screamed when they finally kissed and wanted to see some resolution. In case you were wondering, the Def Leppard song I referenced in the sparring scene was "Pour Some Sugar on Me" because the idea made me laugh, but the title of this work is in reference to Skylar Grey's "Everything I Need" because it's beautiful and reminded me of Brainia. I hope you enjoyed this!


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